My greatest satisfaction in life comes from helping out another person or group of people in a meaningful way. I used to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) every Sunday in my local library growing up. It was a humbling, warm, really gratifying experience. Understanding that the knowledge and encouragement I was giving to them helped them achieve tangible goals in their lives brought me a real sense of purpose; for one of my students I watched how learning English allowed him to ascend from dish-washer, to waiter, to manager at a restaurant. And that gave him more confidence, allowed him to feel more at home in a foreign country, and set a great example for his little brother. Kudos, dude.
Yet while I am grateful that helping others can be such a strong source of joy in my life, I also recognize that this–like everything else–has limits and downsides. I realize that I am susceptible to ignoring my own needs to please others. In particular, when I focus too much on others–their needs, their goals–I can quickly forget about mine until the joy of helping other abruptly transforms into resentment.
